Nicole Frugé is a freelance photojournalist based in Norfolk, Virginia. A wayward Cajun, born in New Orleans, she fell in love with all things Texan while at The San Antonio Express-News between 2003 and 2009. In recent years, she has covered the war in Iraq, returning frequently to the region to document the lives of ordinary Iraqis and American soldiers coping with the evolving conflict and its consequences. She has photographed other major news events including the 2008 presidential election and Hurricane Katrina, as well as more intimate projects on homeless families and the decline of the independent Texas shrimper. Frugé received a Photographer of the Year Award of Excellence from POYi and was named the NPPA Region 8 Photographer of the Year in 2008. Her work has also been honored by the NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, The Society for Newspaper Design, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar and the Southern Short Course in News Photography. In her free time, she's happiest wearing an old pair of Wranglers and eating crawfish.